Effects of lesions of the nigrostriatal pathway and of nigral grafts on striatal serotonergic innervation in adult rats
Abstract
Neonatal destruction of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system leads to serotonergic hyperinnervation of the striatum. However, it is not clear whether this occurs in adult animals. We investigated whether serotonergic sprouting occurs in adult animals, and also studied the effects of prior or subsequent implantation of dopamine-rich intrastriatal grafts. One group of adult rats received maximal 6-hydroxydopamine lesions. Other rats received maximal lesions and intrastriatal grafts 2 months later, or vice versa. The lesioned non-grafted rats showed clear serotonergic hyperinnervation throughout the striatum ipsilateral to the lesion. Intrastriatal grafts did not prevent or revert this serotonergic hyperinnervation, and were themselves densely innervated by serotonergic fibers. Serotonergic neurons usually present in the grafted cell suspension also contributed to the serotonergic innervation of the graft and the surrounding striatum.
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